Maravi

Saturday, January 30, 2010

PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has condemned British Foreign Secretary David Miliband remarks regarding EU sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe saying the comments were “unhelpful” and likely to complicate the political situation in the country.

Miliband unwittingly strengthened President Robert Mugabe’s hand in the ongoing political dispute with his rivals by suggesting EU sanctions would continue against Zimbabwe until Tsvangirai called for their removal. Zanu PF has since demanded that the MDC leader call for the removal of the sanctions.
President Mugabe’s party, further, vowed not to make any more concessions in the ongoing dialogue over full implementation of the coalition agreement the parties signed in September 2008 until the sanctions are lifted.

And, as pressure over the issue increases, Tsvangirai told reporters in the Swiss ski resort of Davos where he was attending meetings of the World Economic Forum that Miliband’s comments were ill-conceived and badly timed especially as the country's feuding politicians battle to bridge differences over their power-sharing pact.

He said he had told Miliband during a meeting in Davos that his comments could further complicate the situation in the country.

"I did draw to his attention that his comment was unfortunate, it was uncalled for, because what it literally meant was that the MDC has to accept liability for any restrictions that have been placed on the country, rather than that it is the mis-governance and the failed policies that caused the European Union and the rest of the world to take those punitive measures," Tsvangirai told reporters.

His deputy, Arthur Mutambara, who leads the other MDC formation and was also in Davos took a much more robust position.

"With friends like those, who needs enemies?"

"What he (Miliband) has done is completely unstrategic, is very ignorant and very patronizing. Why? Because he is completely undermining Mr. Tsvangirai's power in the negotiations right now," Mutambara said late Friday.

Tsvangirai said while he did not support Mutambara's strong language, he emphasised to the British envoy that the comments could easily complicate the political battle over how Zimbabwe should be governed.

The MDC-T leader said a general political agreement must be reached at the ongoing power-sharing talks before he could call for western nations to lift their sanctions, which include travel bans on top officials and some curbs on Zimbabwean companies.

"What we want is to re-engage the European Union and normalize our relations," Tsvangirai said. "That is the objective."

Meanwhile, the British Foreign Office issued a statement on Saturday saying that it, and not Zimbabwean officials, will decide when to lift the sanctions.

"The most important factor influencing the U.K.'s views on lifting EU restrictive measures will be evidence of actual change and reform on the ground in Zimbabwe," it said. "We will make our own judgments as to when they should be reinforced or eased."

Prior to the coming of western education, Africans had their own education system. Our education was not conducted in a classroom as is the case now. We had no curriculum or timetable to follow. Besides, one was not offered a degree or a certificate at the end because education lasted a lifetime.

Our ancestors learnt by observing what elders did in the community. What was important was to learn the skill and master it perfectly so that when called upon, one would perform it without difficulty.
The education of young people was conducted in such a way that whatever they learnt was absorbed and internalised so that it became part of their identity and mental wallpaper.

Consequently, intelligence was not determined through written examinations but by looking at how one applied him/herself in society.

Wise people were those who could solve other people’s problems, reflect on issues and coin proverbs besides finding means and ways of surviving when in the face of anything that threatened human life.
One did not claim to be wise until they applied their theories in various ways to the amusement of everyone. Those who relied on the skills of others were not admired at all as they contributed nothing to society. Thereafter, education in traditional African societies led learners to independent thinking and discovery instead of parroting the thinking of others.

I’am not against western education but rather what is common to most of the people who have gone through it. Western education has somehow turned Africans into ‘manual type of scholars’ in the sense that we cannot do anything beyond what is written in textbooks.
Education is not all about mastering the thoughts of others but applying one’s acquired knowledge for the advancement and betterment of one’s society and of the world as a whole.

My sincere hope is that those of us who have had the chance of going through western education will move beyond the status quo and parrot intellectualism which has manifested itself in many forms if we are to adequately address the problems we face as a continent in this time and age.

The quack intellectuals we see around who do nothing but paraphrase the thinking of others are nothing but a dead leaf that has broken loose from a tree. They are as good as chicken drops on a rainy day.

THE resignation of Professor Clive Chirwa from the ruling MMD may not be a big political loss. But the issues Prof Chirwa has raised are big, are very important and the MMD will ignore them at its own peril. The MMD has serious challenges and there is need for its membership and leadership to recognise the scale of their problems. Prof Chirwa is not exaggerating matters when he says the MMD is literary paralysed and facing death.

The MMD has become increasingly associated with the most disagreeable messages and thoughts. As Prof Chirwa observes, “the party that was once composed of comrades and best friends unified in the struggle for eradicating poverty, illiteracy and disease, while being the guardian for peace, has turned into a promoter of injustice, corruption, visionless and has become too narcissistic for a moderate to swallow”. This is a very serious indictment for the MMD.
But, justifiably or unjustifiably, this is what many people, not only Prof Chirwa, feel about the MMD and its leadership. And since it is what people feel it must be appreciated as a deeply-felt distaste, rather than a momentary irritation. They cannot dismiss it as a mere false perception. As Prof Chirwa has observed, the MMD is today linked to corruption, the promotion of injustice, crookedness, intolerance, harshness, brutality, violence and visionless. The MMD is today thought to be uncaring about poverty, unemployment, poor housing, health and education. It is also considered to be indifferent to the moral argument over their defence of Chiluba’s corruption, over his questionable acquittal and their refusal to appeal. They are seen and thought to favour corruption, greed and vanity with a ‘devil take the hindmost’ attitude.

Prof Chirwa says the MMD was once composed of comrades and best friends. This cannot be said to be the case today. They have abandoned almost completely the qualities of loyalty and the bonds of party without which party effectiveness ceases to exist. And this has been replaced by excessive patronage and concentration on discords. They are falling over each other to please whoever is in State House and in charge of appointments, the dispenser of government favours. And in the process they are assisting him to carve the party for himself and his friends. No one can today deny that the MMD of today is almost that of Rupiah Banda. And almost everyone who is functioning in the leadership of the party has turned himself or herself into a puppet, an agent, a servant of Rupiah. Those who have refused to do so are today on the fringes of the party, creating discord as they try to resist. But we know from experience that a party divided into hostile groups loses its militancy. Protracted inner-party strife inevitably results in party members’ concentration on discords. The party becomes distracted from political struggle and day-to-day work among the masses and loses its influence.

For the MMD to see a reversal of political fortunes, they must rediscover the old instincts that led them to support correct ideas and practices and oppose evil and wrongdoing. The impact of disunity upon the MMD is clear to see. The party must in the very near future learn again to display the camaraderie and common purpose that are fundamental to a party’s prospects. If they don’t do so, they stand no chance of being re-elected.

The MMD leadership today is thought to be arrogant and out of touch. And much of it can be attributed to personal mannerisms that grated on the public after years in office. Some of it is insensitivity – taking decisions that favour foreign investors when people’s jobs and self-esteem are at stake. Prof Chirwa says he disagrees “with the government and MMD’s policy on economy that is so backward-looking for the 21st Century, it makes our people far much worse off with increased poverty. Appeasing investors, who are contributing very little to our country, while without shame kneeling for aid from donors is tightening the shackles we rightly thought, were removed at independence”.

Prof Chirwa has got a point on this score because it doesn’t make sense not to want to meaningfully tax the mining sector that is dominated by transnational corporations but to be comfortable to go to the donors and ask for the same money they have collected from taxing these mining companies. Where do we think the donors we ask for money get that money from? It is from taxes; it is from taxing these same foreign investors we don’t want to tax; it is also from borrowings. It is very clear that the MMD fundraises from these foreign investors and in turn they give them unjustifiable investment conditions, all sorts of concessions that they don’t give to their own people, especially those who are not part of their corrupt league.

Prof Chirwa also says that he disagrees with MMD and its government’s approach to fighting corruption and that “the perception of many Zambians is that the party is corrupt to the core. The party does not protect human rights and has total disregard of the law”. It cannot be denied that the MMD is corrupt to the core. Just look at the corruption profile of each of its key leaders! Today State House is the citadel of all sorts of crooked and corrupt deals. The MMD can’t survive without corruption; it can’t continue in existence without crookedness. This is why all corrupt elements today have found a nest in the MMD. This is a party that is not even ashamed to declare a corrupt element like Frederick Chiluba innocent when they have a judgment in their hands that clearly shows how he was stealing public funds. State House has become the bastion for defending Chiluba’s corruption.

And when it comes to construction projects, look at who is getting the contracts, their connections with those in power and the quality of work they do and the price the Zambian taxpayer has to pay. Contracts are going to those who will give them something, who will aid their campaigns, who will give them a cut or a stake. Can a country really develop with such a leadership? A job that is supposed to cost the government K1 billion will be done for K10 billion or K20 billion and poorly so. Why? It’s simply because of corruption.

And when it comes to tolerance, to entertaining differences in opinion – the foundation of democracy – the MMD behaves like a party of savages. Unemployed youths of low literacy are mobilised to harass, intimidate and beat up those who oppose them, those who challenge them. And when this is done, Rupiah justifies it, saying they are merely responding to those who are insulting him. The MMD rewards brutish behaviour, thereby encouraging or promoting it. This is not a recipe for governing well. This is not the way to promote peace and stability in the nation. This is a recipe for anarchy and veritable chaos in the nation.

And when it comes to formulating or enacting laws, they are so shortsighted and narrow-minded. Their laws are targeted primarily at expediencies of the moment; at protecting or securing their hold on power; at sorting out their political opponents. This reminds us of what Nelson Mandela once said: “Of course you cannot know a man completely, his character, his principles, sense of judgment, not till he’s shown his colours, ruling the people, making laws. Experience, there’s the test.”

And Prof Chirwa concludes by observing that “those who remain in the MMD party face a hard uphill struggle to make the party credible in the eyes of its own supporters, Zambians and relevant to the needs of the 21st Century”. Truly, changing the image of the MMD will not be an easy undertaking because those in charge don’t seem to care much about this issue. The top leadership of the MMD today is dominated by elements of highly questionable credentials on issues of corruption and integrity.

As if this was not enough, they have even gone to recruit, co-opt a discredited person like Dora Siliya to be their spokesperson. One wonders if Rupiah and his friends have any idea of what is going on in the country, of what the Zambian people today think of them. Probably they are banking on the immense resources under their control to win the support and votes of the poor, of the people they have weakened with poverty and unemployment. But if they are betting on using money, then they will need a lot of it because small amounts won’t do.

However, the best thing is for them to mull over things and consider the feelings of the people, the things others are saying, and make urgent corrections where necessary. Stubbornness and denials won’t take them anywhere. The wheel of fortune turns and that which once appeared fresh, with the passing of time goes to seed.

MMD 2011 presidential aspirant Professor Clive Chirwa has resigned from the MMD with immediate effect on grounds that the party is corrupt and facing death.

In a letter to MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba, dated January 28, 2010 and accessed by The Post, Prof Chirwa stated that he had decided to cut his umbilical cord connected to MMD, because he could not compromise his beliefs of good citizenship that was untarnished, that did not tolerate corruption and cheating.

He said the MMD was no longer the party he had known over the years in that everything had deteriorated to an extent that the party was literary paralysed.
“It is with both gratitude and regret that I write to inform you of my decision to resign my membership of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) with immediate effect. As you will know, I have been a paid up member of the MMD for over three years. I was one of its original sympathisers and later donors, who believed in the ethos of the party as it resolutely promoted democracy, fairness and selfless service to the communities in our beloved country,” Prof Chirwa stated.

“During that time I have seen the MMD grow from a small group of enthusiastic activists into a party covering all corners of the country, which made breathtaking achievements by winning five consecutive, presidential elections propped by the hardworking men and women who represent the party in The National Assembly. The victories have without a doubt arisen through the hard tirelessly pounding legs of the members up and down the country in wards and branches.

“But here we are in 2010, just more than twelve months after the last contested Presidential victory, and everything has deteriorated to such an extent that the party is literary paralysed and facing death. The party that was once composed of comrades and best friends unified in the struggle for eradicating poverty, illiteracy and disease, while being the guardian for peace has turned into a promoter of injustice, corruption, visionless and has become too narcissistic for a moderate to swallow. This is not the party that I was involved in over the years. Nor is it a party that I want to continue to participate in.

“For these reasons, I am cutting my umbilical cord connected to the party, because I cannot compromise my beliefs of good citizenship that is untarnished, that does not tolerate corruption and cheating, and that upholds the rule of law, and above all that which is prepared to work for total liberation of the people of Zambia from the economic malaise. I am an engineer and I will build Zambia in my new family of compassionate Zambians who believe in my cause for building an industrialised Zambia where every child will proudly grow to be a gallant citizen with the best of education the country can offer and ready to honestly contribute to the development of his/her country.”

He indicated that there were a number of reasons that had necessitated his resignation from the MMD.

“I disagree with the government and MMD's policy on economy that is so backward looking for the 21st Century, it makes our people far much worse off with increased poverty. Appeasing investors, who are contributing very little to our country, while without shame kneeling for aid from donors is tightening the shackles we rightly thought, were removed at independence. Promoting agriculture without giving the people the tools to grow more and efficiently is disastrous, especially when you MMD do not believe in your own agriculture policy,” he stated.

“Disregarding the creation of manufacturing which is the true developmental vehicle that will see job creation in millions is economic incompetence beyond belief. Total dependency on investors to drop out of the sky without pro-actively seeking for those who will genuinely come and develop Zambia is short-sighted. Poor planning in the distribution of funding among provinces is just too bias. Poor tourism strategy that is ignoring Livingstone as the true gem that can spin trillions and trillions of kwacha if properly developed is suicidal. “Erratic and catastrophic decision making on infrastructure construction, including the inert approach towards the railway lines which are the blood streams of any landlocked country, is unacceptable because the economic targets will never be realised without the railways and good roads.”

Prof Chirwa stated that he disagreed with the government's lack of policy in resolving the problems of education, health and housing.

“If you ask, you will be told they are being addressed. But the reality is contrary as we continue seeing Grade Seven pupils still being thrown on the rubbish tip of dropouts, the poor are dying as they cannot afford medication and families are now permanently living in dilapidated shanties that are beyond human habitation. I disagree with the government's and MMD's approach to fighting corruption. The perception of many Zambians is that the party is corrupt to the core,” the letter read in part.

“The party does not protect human rights and has total disregard of the law. In addition, does not entertain differences in opinion, which is the foundation of democracy. The sacking of very good almost irreplaceable professionals who have different progressive views is so totalitarian that the whole meaning of the MMD slogan is rendered unfit for purpose.”

He further stated that he vehemently disagreed with the government and MMD's approach to formulating the necessary laws, and all the instruments pertaining to national governance.

“The tampering of the Legislature; the tampering of the NCC National Constitutional Conference who are preparing the constitution, not only for us today, but also for our siblings and the introduction of possessing a university degree as a pre-requisite for presidential candidate is not right especially when the education system is in turmoil. But minimal attainment is needed and Zambia's level is grade twelve until we sort out the education system,” he stated.

“I disagree with the government's and MMD's approach to politicise the civil service and other 'QUANGOs' Quasi Non Governmental Organisations who are supposed to be impartial and ready to serve any government in power. The total control of the civil service has created an impression that is characterised by corrupt activities,” he stated.

He stated that it was suicidal that MMD national executive committee (NEC) had developed a suffocating culture of centralism and bureaucracy, thereby creating an atmosphere which stifled individual initiatives.

“When the NEC is bypassed through media pages and radio stations that is when members are approached usually with negative consequences that have been concocted through knee jerking. I am a deep thinker and prudent solver of problems who wanted to help, offer change and blow fresh air that injects oxygen into those dead woods. I was not given a chance due to greed,” Prof Chirwa stated.

“It is hardly surprising that much of the party's grassroots simply drifting off into passive mode or leaving. The party has become increasingly marginalised and facing death in 2011 and Zambians will make sure it does. Those who remain in the MMD party face a hard uphill struggle to make the party credible in the eyes of its own supporters, Zambians and relevant to the needs of the 21st Century.”

Prof Chirwa stated that the MMD was a bold and brave experiment that had ultimately failed. He stated that he would not regret resigning from the party because that was the only way he could maintain his integrity.

“At present being a member of MMD is like being in a room with a hungry lion. The atmosphere is so toxic that members have stopped to communicate in a civilised manner. Politically I am now moving to the next step in my plan that is on schedule. I am leaving with no regret or bitterness towards anyone. I value the many good friends, all those who worked for me within the party. It is with heavy heart that I must end my membership of the MMD and therefore resign due to the many reasons including those stipulated above. You should not cry for me as my new home is extremely warmer and I will let you know its address at an appropriate time,” stated Prof Chirwa.

EUROPEAN Union (EU) head of delegation for Zambia Dr Derick Fee has said he is surprised that the Irrigation Fund project that was introduced in 2007 by the government to improve farmers’ productivity has not been implemented.

Answering questions from journalists after officiating at the launch of the Zambia National Farmer’s Union (ZNFU) project on improving productivity of smallscale agriculture sector yesterday, Dr Fee said he was surprised to learn that the money for the project was not there.
In September 2007, the government introduced the US $135 million Irrigation Development Fund (IDF) to help improve farmers' productivity which was supposed to be a revolving fund managed by Finance Bank Zambia.

The fund which was initially to run over a five-year period targeted small and medium scale farmers, largescale farmers and manufacturers of irrigation equipment.

“I remember attending the launch for the irrigation project and we worked with the African Development Bank ADB now Bank ABC and I am very surprised to hear that the money is not there,” Dr Fee said.

He said the irrigation project was a good one and urged the government to come up with other serious projects that the EU could fund.

“We only get involved with serious projects, we are not here to waste our time and our partners’ time,” he said.

“If there is a serious irrigation project, we can talk and see what we can do. We don’t want to hear about potential programmes. I have been hearing about potential for the past three years. Yes, potential is okay but you need to move to action.”

Earlier ZNFU president Jervis Zimba disclosed that the funds for the irrigation fund had disappeared.

“There is nothing in the account for the irrigation fund,” Zimba said.

“Right now, there is no irrigation fund. We don’t know where the money went. This is a very sad story because we should not be talking about irrigation now. I am happy that God has punished us with the drought that we are experiencing so that people can see the importance of irrigation.”

The EU yesterday released 2.4 million Euros K15 billion to ZNFU for the improvement of productivity for smallscale farmers. r Fee said the 87,000 farmers were expected to benefit from the project through increased access to agricultural support services.

“This will lead to increased household food security,” Dr Fee said. “The increased volumes of marketed farm produce will greatly contribute to reducing food prices and hence stabilising them on the local market in the long run.”

Zimba said food security was the greatest concern to his union and the country.
“Regrettably, there is overwhelming evidence that food security is still one of the greatest challenges of our time in this country,” he said.

“It is for this reason that ZNFU for over a century now has continued to work hard in mobilising farmers to ensure food insecurity will be one day a thing of the past.”

Zimba said from this year on, ZNFU would work on “unlocking” the potential for farmers.

ABOUT 300 miners were in the early hours of yesterday morning allegedly gassed underground at the Chinese-run NFC mine in Chambishi. But Kalulushi district commissioner Joshua Mtisa refuted reports that 300 miners were gassed, claiming that there were only 17.

National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) national secretary Goodwell Kaluba said the union was concerned about the lives of its members following the incident at the mine.
Speaking to journalists at Sinozam Friendship Hospital in Kitwe where the miners were rushed after allegedly being gassed around 02:00 hours in the morning, Kaluba said the safety standards at NFC mining in the last few months had been compromised.

“As a union, we are very afraid for the lives of workers. We will not sit by and watch this because at the end of the day, we might have another BIGRIMM,” Kaluba said.

“Safety in the last few months has been compromised because they have been having accidents and that is regrettable. There is no company that has accidents every month.”

Kaluba urged the government to work hand-in-hand with the union in ensuring safety standards at the mine were adhered to. He said if it meant suspending operations, that should be done as long as safety measures were first put in place. He explained that the gassing which is believed to have been caused by burnt cables started at level 300 underground.

“So when the miners started calling the cage tender, he failed to send the cage down for fear of being suffocated so after the miners insisted, that is when he brought the cage down," he explained.

"After taking the cage down, they decided to go to level 400 because there were more people there but they managed to get out all of them."

Kaluba said there were no serious injuries and the miners were quickly rushed to Sinozam Hospital where they were observed and discharged.

By mid-morning, nine of the miners were waiting to be observed while one was still kept for observations.

But Mtisa said only 17 people were rushed to hospital and not 300 as reported.
However, Mtisa said he had not yet had a word with management at the mine.

FORMER president Frederick Chiluba on Thursday pleaded with farmers and ex-miners in Luanshya to vote for President Rupiah Banda in next year's general elections.

Chiluba, who addressed farmers from Mpongwe, Luanshya and Chingola during a clandestine meeting at Luanshya's Cholwa Guesthouse, assured the audience that he would deliver all their concerns to President Banda.
According to a source, who attended the meeting but declined to be named, the farmers and ex-miners complained that the government had neglected them and the leaders merely visited them during election campaigns.

“But Chiluba assured them that he would deliver their concerns to President Banda. He Chiluba urged the people to vote for President Banda during the 2011 elections,” he said.
The source said the farmers complained that there was no link between the government and people at the grassroots level.

“But we are not happy with Chiluba, we are going to vote for a leader who we are going to identify. If you remember Chiluba caused a lot of damage to this town Luanshya, especially when he privatised the Luanshya mine to Binani Group of Companies. People lost jobs, children stopped schools. Here people were feeding on wild fruits. This man is not ashamed of himself,” the source complained.
The source said Chiluba was just wasting his time by campaigning for President Banda who had failed the country.

And Copperbelt Province UPND chairman Elisha Matambo warned Chiluba that he would face the wrath of the PF and UPND youths if he continued with his clandestine campaign meetings on the Copperbelt.
“Chiluba is wasting his time. I have heard right now Thursday afternoon he is addressing a meeting at Cholwa in Luanshya. We are going to face him, he should not think Zambians are foolish,” he said.

Matambo said Chiluba was a finished politician who was just after his selfish interests.
Chiluba has been on the Copperbelt Province for over a week now campaigning for President Banda under the guise of attending funerals.

Sources last week revealed that State House had bankrolled Chiluba's trip to the province to decampaign the PF-UPND pact and campaign for President Banda. According to the sources, Chiluba was also expected to travel to Northern and Luapula provinces on the same mission. But when contacted, his spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba said Chiluba was on the Copperbelt to attend to family bereavements.

ZESCO acting managing director Cyprian Chitundu has been fired on instigation from energy minister Kenneth Konga. And Chitundu confirmed the development yesterday but refused to comment on the matter, referring all queries to the board chairman.
But newly appointed Zesco board chairman Kwalela Lamaswala referred all queries to the Zesco company secretary.

According to highly-placed sources within Zesco, the decision to fire Chitundu was arrived at during the board meeting held on Thursday after 17:00 hours.
The sources said Konga did not favour Chitundu to take over the running of the state-power utility as he favoured someone who would be easy to deliver campaign money to the MMD in next year's elections.

“It is believed that the Honourable minister is favouring Mr Raphael Mupwaya, the head of Lusaka division, to take over the position from Mr Chitundu,” the source said.

“But the thing is when Mr Lamaswala was appointed as Zesco board chairman, he promised that he was going to seek instruction from Mr Konga before convening a board to spell how he was going to run things… apart from the meeting where he was unveiled as the chairman, this was the first meeting he chaired and he announced the dismissal of Mr Chitundu. What we were told during the meeting was that Mr Chitundu's contract as chief operations officer was terminated and subsequently, his position as acting MD.”

The sources said there was a split among the board members with one group headed by Rhoda Mayondi favouring the decision while another group headed by Professor Joy Mwenechanya opposing the decision.

“But like I have told you, even those who opposed the decision, there was nothing they could do because Mr Lamaswala was merely implementing the instruction from Honourable Konga,” the source said.

The sources explained that Konga was agitated by the continued demand by the Zesco workers unions who this week wanted to petition Vice-President George Kunda over Chitundu's position in Zesco.

“It's like the minister called the unions and met them in the presence of labour minister Honourable Austin Liato on Tuesday and pleaded with them that Chitundu was not the right man for the job but the unions told him that 'look minister, things are now improving, so why can't you see it that way?'”

And Chitundu confirmed the development but refused to comment on the matter.
“What can I say? No…I can't comment on that matter…I am now a private citizen…but we parted company with the corporation,” said Chitundu.

When contacted for comment, Lamaswala referred all queries to Zesco company secretary.

“Get in touch with company secretary for a comprehensive statement so that you do not speculate,” said Lamaswala.

Asked if he dismissed Chitundu on instruction from Konga, Malaswala responded: “Well you are entitled to your opinion…you are entitled to your sources.”
Efforts to get comment from Konga proved futile as his mobile phone went unanswered.

Recently, the government appointed Dr Lemba Nyirenda as Zesco managing director but relieved him of his duties after a short period on grounds that the board had failed to reach consensus on his conditions of service. Chitundu was then appointed as acting managing director until now. The advertisement for the position of Zesco managing director is currently running in the media.

GOVERNMENT is currently holding negotiations with Nava Bharat, the new owners of Maamba Collieries, aimed at liquidating the debt owed to the mine employees. Responding to parliamentary committee on government assurances chairperson Roan member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili who wanted to know if Nava Bharat of Singapore (NBS) Private Limited were ready to pay the employees, mines ministry permanent secretary Dr Godwin Beene said his ministry was negotiating with the Singaporean company on the debt.
“I am informed that there are negotiations going on the matter. I am told that it will be taken care of,” he said.

Dr Beene said Nava Bharat was well aware of the status of Maamba Collieries.
He said the issue of employees’ indebtedness could be regressive if not well handled.
And Dr Beene submitted that the creditors of Maamba Collieries Limited (MCL) agreed to a 75 per cent discount on all the debt that MCL owed them.

“The scheme of arrangement to write off 75 per cent of debt owed was sanctioned by the High Court on 27 December 2007,” he said. “ZCCM-IH funded the scheme of arrangement and the same was implemented in January 2008.”

Dr Beene added that the sale and purchase agreement for the sale of 65 per cent shares of MCL to NBS was signed by the government, ZCCM-IH and NBS on December 18, 2009.
He said the new owners of MCL were expected to recapitalise the coal mine and develop a new Thermal Power Plant and both projects were to be financed by debt equity.

Dr Beene also said the government was pressing Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) to consider opening the Nkana smelter.
“Government has engaged KCM management to look at this issue from a national level to re-open the smelter. This will require massive capital injection to modernise the smelter and make the operations cost effective,” he said.

Dr Beene said there was great urgency to bring back to operation the shut down Nkana smelter in order to ensure that all concentrates produced in the country were smelted and refined within the country.
Dr Beene disclosed that KCM was looking at the option of partnering with other investors to recapitalise the smelter.

“Government will ensure that the negotiation with KCM management result into re-opening of the smelter before 2011,” he said.

Dr Beene attributed the slow pace of geological mapping of the country to the shortage of geologists at the Geologists Survey Department.

ABOUT 10,000 metric tonnes of copper and other goods are marooned at Kapiri Mposhi because TAZARA locomotives are faulty. Tazania Zambia Railways (TAZARA) insiders have revealed that some clients are contemplating withdrawing from using TAZARA services because of delays in transportation.

“Clients are upset with us because their goods are not being transported from Kapiri Mposhi. We have 59 wagons loaded with copper stuck in the yard. We also have 9, 531 metric tonnes of copper and manganese as well as 643 metric tonnes of manganese in Serenje,” the insider said.
“We have six wagons loaded and two being loaded now. This means that at the moment we have about 10,000 metric tonnes of materials in our custody and 67 wagons loaded with materials waiting to be moved.”
The sources said the scenario was a challenge to TAZARA.

“Without a concrete assurance from us as to whether the material will move in the shortest possible time, the customers want to mobilize trucks to move their material from Kapiri Mposhi and Serenje. Our customers are seriously contemplating pulling out of TAZARA,” the source said.

“Genesis Procurement Limited wants an assurance that we will provide 30 HSOs at Serenje this month for their manganese so that they can give us something since we cannot uplift 5,000 tonnes on offer per month from them.”

The insider also said TAZARA owed various institutions about US $60 million.
“So those are some of the challenges the new MD is inheriting,” said the source.

Meanwhile, communications and transport permanent secretary Dominic Sichinga confirmed a Post story that Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika had been appointed TAZARA managing director.

Confirming the appointment of former political advisor to President Rupiah Banda, Sichinga stated that TAZARA board of directors appointed Aka to take over from Henry Chipewo, who was acting managing director, whose acting appointment was terminated by the board.

Over the weekend, The Post revealed that President Banda had appointed Aka as TAZARA managing director without following laid down procedures enshrined in the TAZARA Act.
The sources said Aka had been appointed to ensure the MMD’s easy access to TAZARA.

Last Thursday, the Presidency issued a media statement that President Banda had redeployed Aka to another position in public service where his experience and services were required.

TAZARA railway runs from Dar-es-Salaam to Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia.
At the moment TAZARA is in serious financial difficulties with a huge debt.

COMMENT - The cowards of the MDC are still calling the economic and financial sanctions against the people and government of Zimbabwe 'restrictive measures', so they can pretend that there are only travel restrictions against individuals in the ZANU-PF. The truth is that in the year 2002, the Zimbabwean government was put on a credit freeze, that froze it's credit lines, including all lines needed to do business. That year, the year 2002, what was the Zimbabwean rising trade surplus of $322 million in 2001 collapsed into a trade deficit of $18 million.

ZANU-PF and MDC, the two major political parties that make up Zimbabwe’s inclusive government have renewed their differences over the removal of sanctions slapped on the country by the West.

Their renewed fight is likely to distract the resumption of talks aimed at stabilising the volatile situation in the shaky unity government that was formed last year after a violent election in 2008.
While ZANU-PF maintains that the MDC should cause the lifting of sanctions that it asked Western countries to impose on Zimbabwe before it can fully implement the Global Political Agreement (GPA), the MDC insists that ZANU-PF should first implement the GPA fully before MDC can call for the lifting of sanctions.

The ZANU-PF politburo, the party’s highest decision making body, which sat on Wednesday declared that the party would not make any more concessions in talks with the two MDC formations on issues outstanding in the full implementation of the GPA until the economic sanctions are lifted.

Addressing the media on Wednesday afternoon, ZANU-PF deputy secretary for information and publicity Ephraim Masawi said the removal of sanctions had become imperative.

He said recent revelations by British foreign and Commonwealth secretary David Miliband that London would remove sanctions at MDC’s request exposed MDC-T’s "treacherous role" in the initiation and drafting of the illegal sanctions against Zimbabweans saying the party was "a tool" of Western imperialism.

"The people of Zimbabwe, as the victims of the MDC and Western murderous collusion, now demand that Mr Tsvangirai and his Western allies remove their evil sanctions so that children can go to school, the sick can be attended to in hospitals, people can find jobs and farmers produce,” Masawi said.

“The Politburo therefore instructs its negotiators on the GPA to desist from making concessions in the negotiations until the sanctions are removed and the pirate radio stations cease to pollute airwaves.”

But MDC secretary for international affairs, Professor Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, said the sanctions could not be lifted because the conditions that brought them about were still in existence.

"Most of the issues that led to the imposition of the restrictive measures still remain unresolved," Prof Mukonoweshuro told The Changing Times, a newsletter from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s office, on Wednesday.

"The issues of violence, human rights abuses and violent farm disruptions are still taking place. These are outstanding issues that need to be eradicated.”

Meanwhile, the British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mark Canning, said the EU would not lift the sanctions until there was reform in Zimbabwe.

”As the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, made clear in the British Parliament on 19 January, the most important factor influencing the United Kingdom's views on lifting EU restrictive measures will be evidence of actual change and reform on the ground in Zimbabwe,” said Ambassador Canning.

”These are not MDC measures. These are not ZANU-PF measures. They are the EU’s, and we will make our own judgments as to when they should be reinforced or eased. But the key to having restrictive measures eased, or lifted, is for those in Zimbabwe who are currently resisting progress to implement the commitments to reform they agreed to in the Global Political Agreement."

THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) which is struggling to survive, weighed down by liabilities incurred during the years when it freely printed money, has defaulted on millions of US dollars worth of bond repayments to the country’s gold miners.
A statement issued by the apex bank on Friday said all bonds would now be rolled-over for a further 6 months pending the outcome of ongoing engagements with the country’s treasury over “the Zimbabwean Government's RBZ-held debt”.

The RBZ’s troubles threaten to compromise recovery of the country’s mining sector with one firm, Caledonia Mining Corporation which owns Gwanda’s Blanket Mine saying it has been forced to put-off planned expansion projects after failing to get its money from the central bank.
RBZ Governor, Gideon Gono announced during a monetary policy presentation in January 2009 that outstanding arrears to gold miners would be turned into bonds expected to mature within twelve months.

“In order to contribute positively towards economic recovery of the gold sector, all outstanding amounts to (gold miners) have been converted into special Tradable Gold-backed Foreign exchange Bonds,” Dr Gono announced in January last year.

The bonds had a tenor of 12 months and attracted an interest rate of 8 percent.
However, Caledonia Mining Corporation published a statement on Friday saying the RBZ had failed to redeem bonds issued to its Zimbabwe subsidiary, Blanket Mine.

“Blanket Mine will not receive payment in respect of the Special Tradable Gold-backed Foreign Exchange Bonds issued by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and which fall due for redemption on 1 February 2010 at a value of US$3 181,019 including interest accrued thereon of US$235 631.

“The Bonds were issued to Blanket in 2008 by the RBZ as consideration for gold delivered to a subsidiary of the RBZ in terms of the prevailing legislation,” the Canada-based Caledonia said in a statement.

The RBZ statement announcing the bonds had been rolled-over for a further six months adding that "various other initiatives are being pursued to meet all outstanding obligations” appeared to have been issued in response to Caledonia’s revelations.

Meanwhile, the central bank, which has also been taken to the High Court after failing to pay US$2 million for tractors acquired during its many quasi-fiscal operations, blames treasury for its troubles, claiming the Ministry of Finance is stalling on a much needed recapitalisation of its operations.

However treasury officials counter that they too have little room to manoeuvre as internal revenue generation remains constrained by an economy still recovering from years of negative growth while international support has not matched anticipated levels.

The RBZ’s fortunes changed dramatically when the country opted to use multiple foreign currencies in place of the virtually worth-less Zimbabwe dollar, a development that effectively put-paid-to the central bank's practice of simply printing money to fund its much-maligned quasi-fiscal operations.

EUROPEAN diplomats accredited to Harare say Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has requested the removal of eight companies from the list of state-owned firms and other quasi-government institutions that were slapped with sanctions by the European Union.

The Zimbabwean premier has come under increasing pressure over the issue after British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the UK would only consider lifting the sanctions on the advice of the MDC.
President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party subsequently announced in midweek that no further concessions would be made to the two MDC formations in the ongoing talks over “out-standing” GPA issues leaving the dialogue on the brink of collapse.

However the deputy head of the Germany Embassy in Harare, Matthias Schumaker said Tsvangirai had asked that the eight companies, which have not been named, be removed from the sanctions list.

The EU is also said to be considering removing from the sanctions list, Dumiso Dabengwa, a former senior member of Zanu PF who ditched the party during the 2008 elections and now leads the revived PF Zapu.

Up to 40 state-related enterprises were slapped with sanctions by the European Union along with over 200 individuals connected to President Mugabe and Zanu PF at the height of the dispute between Zimbabwe and western countries in the last decade.

Western countries say the sanctions were aimed at encouraging free and fair elections in the country, observance of the rule of law and respect for human rights while Zanu PF insists the measures were an act of retribution over its land reforms.

The sanctions remain in place even though the country’s feuding politicians have since formed a coalition government to end years of bickering and bring hope the suffering population, further infuriating Zanu PF.

Meanwhile, eight British Members of Parliament are expected to visit Zimbabwe to review the effectiveness of British aid to the country.

Dave Fish, the head of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) in Zimbabwe said in a statement the visiting legislators are members of the UK Parliament’s International Development Committee.

“The UK government is committed to helping the poorest and most vulnerable people in Zimbabwe. Progress on halting the spread of HIV/Aids, caring for orphans; widows and the disabled as well as access to water supply and agriculture inputs are all vital for Zimbabwe’s recovery.

“The team will have the opportunity to assess how well DFID works with other donors, multilateral agencies, non governmental organizations and the inclusive government,” the statement said adding that DFID’s aid programme in Zimbabwe is worth US$ 100 million this financial year.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Luapula Province Permanent Secretary, Jazzman Chikwakwa, has called on government departments and other spending agencies to use public finances prudently.

He warned that imprudent use of public funds would be tantamount to corruption, a vice which government is seriously fighting.

Mr Chikwakwa said yesterday that heads of government departments should ensure that monthly allocations were spent on development related activities that would benefit the people in the province.
He said whoever would be found spending public funds to gain personal wealth would be disciplined. He warned that civil servants should learn a lesson from incarcerated public workers.

He was speaking when he announced that the Ministry of Finance has released funding to government departments in the province.

The Permanent Secretary said Luapula province has been given a total of K1.9 billion for Recurrent Departmental Charges (RDCs) for the month of January.This amount will be shared among 26 spending agencies in the province.

He further said the funds must be properly utilised on developmental activities that benefit the people and not be spent on officers’ allowances.

And Mr Chikwakwa explained that his decision to announce the monthly allocations to various spending agencies in the province in an open meeting was meant to ensure transparency in his administration.

He said although some provincial heads of departments were against the idea of announcing their allocations in an open meeting, this was important for the sake of ensuring checks and balances.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Commerce has summoned Mr. Chikwakwa and District Commissioners for a meeting to discuss the failure by the province to utilise the K10 billion released to the province by the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) last year.

Mr. Chikwakwa disclosed yesterday during a meeting that the province has only used K1 billion out of the K10 billion allocated to the province.

He said Luapula province had the lowest utilisation of the CEE funds compared to other provinces.

He expressed fear that the province might risk not being considered in future for equal disbursement of developmental funds if such funding was not utilised within the time frame.

CENTRAL to good governance in our country is a good constitution, one that is really owned by the people and contains all the rights of the people. What the Zambian people are seeking is a good constitution which truly makes leaders servants of the people and not their masters.

Unless the attitude of those leading the constitution review process is right and the process they have adopted is correct, a constitution that is owned by the people will continue to be elusive. The constitution is the instrument by which people cooperate together to achieve the common good.
A good constitution is needed to guide the energies of all towards the common good. There is therefore need for a conversion of heart and for the transformation of the social structures in order to build our country. It is important to maintain and strengthen democratic structures if we are to enjoy a peaceful and developing future.

And we shouldn’t forget that poverty is impoverishment caused by the unjust political, economic and social structures. And we need to respond sensibly to these root causes of impoverishment through enacting a good constitution. It is the poor and the powerless who directly bear the burden of a bad constitution.

A good constitution is a prerequisite to their wellbeing. Every structure needs to be transformed so that it is in tune with the best interest of all our people, especially the poor. And accordingly, those participating in our constitution review process must ensure that their participation is guided by values of respect for human dignity, human rights, common good, social justice, solidarity, integral development and special concern for the poor.

They should see to it that politics is cleansed of its “dirty game” image and is made to be seen for what it should be – a genuine way of being at the service of others for the integral development of the country. Their work in this area should be directed towards ensuring honest politics in our country; towards ensuring that citizens are empowered to hold their representatives accountable.

Respect and promotion of all human rights is essential for human development. And the efforts of all those engaged in the process of reviewing our constitution should be directed towards the promotion of the fullness of human rights and duties. We say this because the roots of human rights are to be found in the dignity that belongs to each human being.

What our people are looking for is a constitution that gives every citizen of this country the chance to enjoy the wellbeing necessary for their full human development.

What our people are looking for is a constitution that seeks the right ordering of things with which the divine founder has invested our nation and which must be actualised by us thirsting after an ever more perfect reign of justice. We are all created in the image and likeness of God.

The dignity of each one of us is sacred, inalienable and must be respected in whatever constitution we come up with. The pursuit of justice must be a fundamental norm of all those participating in the exercise of writing a new constitution for our country.

Let us not forget that the foundation of good government must be established on the sound basis of laws, of constitution.

The constitution of a country is a national document of the highest importance. As the supreme law of the land, it must be recognised and respected as embodying the sovereign will of the majority of the people and not of a small group arbitrarily handpicked by those in power so as to enable them achieve their personal political agendas.

What we are seeing with this constitution review process is the reign of the arbitrary will of individuals, of those in power.

We value a constitution inasmuch as it ensures the participation of citizens in making political choices, guarantees to the governed the possibility of electing and holding accountable those who govern them, and of replacing them through peaceful means when appropriate.

Today what we are seeing at the National Constitutional Conference is frightening. We are seeing an emphasis on what those in power desire, want. But all those involved in this process should be aware of the fact that an overemphasis on one side of the equation threatens the whole undertaking.

If the National Constitutional Conference is perceived as nothing more than a forum in which those involved can express their demands, they will not come up with a constitution that addresses or serves, heart and soul, the interests of the great majority of our people.

What they will come up with is a constitution that proceeds in all cases from the interests of those in power, from self-interest, from the interests of a small group and not from the interests of the people and the sufferings of the great majority of the citizens of this country. What our people are seeking is a constitution which in every word, clause or article conforms to the people’s interest and has the people’s interests and the sufferings of the great majority at heart. All those at the National Constitutional Conference should realise that the mark of great people is the ability to understand the context in which they are operating and act accordingly. They should be able every night after their sittings to go to bed feeling that they have done some service to the community.

This is very important, far more important than the allowances they are receiving, than being near to the reservation seat of those in power. Let them do a noble job and do everything they are doing there in pursuit of a better life for all of us. At the end of the day, no one should feel cheated by them. If this happens their whole work there will amount to nothing but daylight robbery, banditry. We know our country is today full of political mercenaries – they are found everywhere one goes, be it the Church, NGOs, political parties, universities, government institutions of all sorts and so on and so forth.

But it shouldn’t be forgotten that peace, prosperity, tranquillity and security are only possible if these are enjoyed by all without manipulation or discrimination. The work of the National Constitutional Conference should be underpinned by the desire to lift the most downtrodden sections of our population and all round transformation of society.

The great lesson of our time is that no regime can survive for long if it acts above the heads of the ordinary citizens of the country.

It is easy to manipulate a few hundreds of National Constitutional Conference delegates and get the clauses one wants in the constitution adopted and celebrate that they have gotten a constitution they wanted. And they would even praise themselves in sorts of ways for having worked hard, for being clever or smart. But they shouldn’t forget that this form of manipulating citizens to give them a constitution that suits their political designs of the moment will not do.

We say this because manipulators have never deserved anybody’s respect or been successful anywhere. As we have stated before, manipulators are like little sailboats that go with the wind and the waves. Manipulation is synonymous with opportunism. Manipulation doesn’t have substance; it doesn’t have roots. Sooner or later all that we have achieved will be reduced to nothing and the nation will be back to the drawing board trying to write another constitution. Frederick Chiluba did it in 1996. He senselessly and insensitively manipulated everything to give himself a constitution he wanted. He got it at a very high cost to the Zambian taxpayer. And today we are back to square one, at another gigantic cost to the Zambian taxpayer, trying to write another constitution. But again, Chiluba’s friends are making the same mistakes he made by trying to manipulate everything to suit their political desires of the moment.

But a constitution that is intended to last for a long time cannot be constructed in the manner the National Constitutional Conference is proceeding. The whole exercise is just a waste of taxpayers’ money, a fraud, a manipulation. Although costly to the Zambian taxpayer, this whole exercise is nothing but an exercise in futility. We think that a good constitution review process is only possible among people who are honest with themselves and with others; it is not possible under this deception that is going on at the National Constitutional Conference.

Those involved in this process are not much concerned about the future; they are more concerned with the present. All their efforts are directed towards addressing expediencies of the moment. The future doesn’t seem to owe them anything; they are doing everything to suit their present circumstances. They don’t even seem to realise that what they are doing today has effects on the future of our country because the future is not built in the future; it is built on the threshold of today.

They don’t even seem to be embarrassed or ashamed of substituting their own wishes for those of the people. They are discarding recommendations of the Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission – a Commission that went round the country listening to the people, collecting their views and synthesising them – and substituting them with their own.

They are ignoring the wishes of the Zambian people on many very issues. And instead of broadening democracy and accountability, they are in many respects attempting to narrow it, to reduce it. They are more concerned with the protection of criminal politicians and not with the protection of the people from the crimes of such elements.

This is a constitution review process to protect criminals and not to protect the people from such political criminals. They are more concerned about immunities for criminals than about justice for the people. It’s very easy to discern what forces, ideas and standards are propelling this constitution review process. It is the ideas and standards of crooks, corrupt elements, tyrannical politicians that are propelling what is going on at the National Constitutional Conference. This being the case, we shouldn’t expect anything good to come out of that process. Zambians should start preparing for another constitution review process.

Reacting to the resolution by the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) that a former president whose immunity is removed because of criminal allegations should have it restored immediately after being cleared by the courts of law, Sata, who featured on a Joy FM radio programme, said President Banda was now using the NCC to restore former president Frederick Chiluba's immunity.

Sata said presently President Banda had failed to do so because the current Constitution did not provide for the restoration of the immunity once lifted.
“Yesterday they said they are going to put in the Constitution to reinstate the immunity of a President who has lost immunity. Everybody knows Rupiah Banda has been fighting very hard to reinstate Chiluba's immunity, but because in the current Constitution...because he lost his immunity, there are still more investigations, he might be close to Mr Banda today, who knows next year most of these cases are going to come back, and there are some more cases. We have the London judgment which has never been registered, and so many more other things. When we didn't know, it was something else, now we know," Sata said.

"They want to put a clause because what they want is as soon as they amend that clause, then immediately they will go to Parliament and reinstate Chiluba's immunity, and then Chiluba will become untouchable again. That is why you find Chiluba is working very hard, extremely hard. He has gone to assault the MPs on the Copperbelt, knowing very well the Copperbelt is dominated by PF.

“Now those are things he is working for because already his property which was confiscated by the Task Force, it has already been given to him, so if he can get his immunity, well and good."

Sata said it was bribery on the part of Chiluba to be dishing out money to people.

He said people could not allow one person to get everything to himself, including US $8 million.

On the adoption of the degree clause by the NCC for one to be presidential candidate, Sata said although he had a degree, the clause was discriminatory.

He said this same government was a signatory to the African Union charter, which guaranteed citizens in their specific countries to participate freely in the governance of their countries either directly or through chosen representatives in accordance with the provisions of the law.

On MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba's assertions that Sata's degree would have to be certified, Sata said Kalumba had to say something because he was currently under siege because he was viewed as one of Sata's blue-eyed boys in the MMD.

"If they are saying it is going to be certified, then the allegations which people are saying that it is aimed at Michael Sata is becoming true," he said.

Asked if the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) would be able to organise free and fair elections, Sata there was no way the ECZ, under the directorship of Danny Kalale could conduct free and credible elections, adding that it was surprising that Kalale was the longest-serving ECZ director.

He said the opposition political parties had always called for the independence of ECZ.

"In UNIP, if there was no Tobias Mbewe, Frederick Chiluba would never have been president. It is not human for anyone to organise against the person who pays him," said Sata. "Comrade Vernon Mwaanga came to Kasama, but he failed to penetrate because we were too tight."

On the fuel price hikes, Sata said nobody had given any credible explanation as to why the prices of the commodity had been hiked.

UPND vice-president Richard Kapita has refuted allegations by MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya that members of the UPND vigorously pushed for the presidential qualifications at the NCC.

And Mazabuka Central UPND member of parliament Garry Nkombo challenged Siliya to name the so-called members of the pact who pushed for the inclusion of the degree clause in the constitution as a requirement for one to run for Republican presidency. In an interview on Wednesday, Kapita said Siliya had started on a very bad note as MMD spokesperson.
“As UPND we have always been against that degree as minimum qualification for a presidential candidate,” he said.

Kapita said no attempts by the MMD would destabilise the PF-UPND pact.
He said there were several attempts by the MMD to cause confusion in the pact.

“The pact would remain strong, we had people who were so close to the pact, who have been going to the MMD telling them all our plans as a pact, but that would not work. The pact is strong and will remain strong, that is why the MMD are not sleeping,” he said.

Kapita said it was totally wrong to set a degree as a minimum qualification for a presidential candidate.

“The MMD are now trying to bring politics to the elite, which is not okay. Basically they are trying to fight one individual but they will fail,” he said.

Kapita wondered what made the MMD think that PF leader Michael Sata had no degree.

“It is totally wrong for them to think Mr Sata has no degree and it is wrong to enshrine a degree qualification in the constitution. I can assure you that will not go through,” Kapita said.

UPND Copperbelt Province chairman Elisha Matambo said it was nonsense for Siliya to accuse UPND members of having vigorously pushed for presidential qualification clause.

“Not everyone with a degree can be a good leader and not everyone without a degree can fail to run the country,” he said.

Matambo urged Copperbelt residents not to be scared of former president Chiluba who is currently campaigning for President Banda in the province.

“They should not be scared of Chiluba, Chiluba is like a snake that cannot bite anyone. He is no longer a poisonous snake,” Matambo said.

And Nkombo said Siliya was hallucinating.

“Let me remind her that being a spokesperson doesn’t mean hallucinating. It was so hypocritical for her to lie to the nation that UPND members at the NCC strongly supported the degree clause for a presidential candidate,” Nkombo said.

“We in the UPND ask Honourable Siliya to go a step further by mentioning people in the UPND who pushed for that clause. I for one debated against that clause and the records are there for all to see. And I know that there are many other UPND members who opposed that clause. I also appeal to our colleagues in the PF Patriotic Front not to listen to such spoilers. Let us continue to strengthen our pact.”

According to the verbatim from NCC, which Nkombo brought to The Post, he had described the clause as discriminatory.

“…I do recognise the progressive nature of this clause, save for a few concerns, and in trying to air my concerns I would like to summon the consciences of all the honourable commissioners in this particular activity,” Nkombo debated.

“…This will amount to discrimination, positive or negative, it is up to your consciences to determine that. But there are certain points that I have regarding this matter and some are that this provision would have been very, very ideal in 1964 going on to maybe the early 80s when access to education was free of charge. This particular clause would have made absolute sense…”

Siakalima asked Siliya to remember how she messed up at the Ministry of Communications and Transport.

"What I’m saying is that MMD and its sponsors should not take advantage over us in the pact. Dora Siliya is trying to purport that it is the UPND who were trying to lobby for a degree clause. Personally when we started hearing about a degree, I said it is not a prerogative to good leadership. Dora was put there to spread propaganda for the MMD," Siakalima said.

"Dora cannot counsel anyone. Who is she? Let me warn her, she is too young; this is politics, she will be bruised. People have not forgotten the way she messed up at the Ministry of Communications and Transport. And for her to become spokesperson of the MMD she has just come in the firing range and she is not going to contain it. We are not her size."

On Tuesday, Siliya charged that UPND members sitting at the NCC vigorously pushed for the degree clause in the qualifications of a Presidential candidate.

MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya
UPND vice-president Richard Kapita has refuted allegations by MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya that members of the UPND vigorously pushed for the presidential qualifications at the NCC.

And Mazabuka Central UPND member of parliament Garry Nkombo challenged Siliya to name the so-called members of the pact who pushed for the inclusion of the degree clause in the constitution as a requirement for one to run for Republican presidency.

In an interview on Wednesday, Kapita said Siliya had started on a very bad note as MMD spokesperson.

“As UPND we have always been against that degree as minimum qualification for a presidential candidate,” he said.

Kapita said no attempts by the MMD would destabilise the PF-UPND pact.
He said there were several attempts by the MMD to cause confusion in the pact.

“The pact would remain strong, we had people who were so close to the pact, who have been going to the MMD telling them all our plans as a pact, but that would not work. The pact is strong and will remain strong, that is why the MMD are not sleeping,” he said.

Kapita said it was totally wrong to set a degree as a minimum qualification for a presidential candidate.

“The MMD are now trying to bring politics to the elite, which is not okay. Basically they are trying to fight one individual but they will fail,” he said.

Kapita wondered what made the MMD think that PF leader Michael Sata had no degree.

“It is totally wrong for them to think Mr Sata has no degree and it is wrong to enshrine a degree qualification in the constitution. I can assure you that will not go through,” Kapita said.

UPND Copperbelt Province chairman Elisha Matambo said it was nonsense for Siliya to accuse UPND members of having vigorously pushed for presidential qualification clause.

“Not everyone with a degree can be a good leader and not everyone without a degree can fail to run the country,” he said.

Matambo urged Copperbelt residents not to be scared of former president Chiluba who is currently campaigning for President Banda in the province.

“They should not be scared of Chiluba, Chiluba is like a snake that cannot bite anyone. He is no longer a poisonous snake,” Matambo said.

And Nkombo said Siliya was hallucinating.

“Let me remind her that being a spokesperson doesn’t mean hallucinating. It was so hypocritical for her to lie to the nation that UPND members at the NCC strongly supported the degree clause for a presidential candidate,” Nkombo said.

“We in the UPND ask Honourable Siliya to go a step further by mentioning people in the UPND who pushed for that clause. I for one debated against that clause and the records are there for all to see. And I know that there are many other UPND members who opposed that clause. I also appeal to our colleagues in the PF Patriotic Front not to listen to such spoilers. Let us continue to strengthen our pact.”

According to the verbatim from NCC, which Nkombo brought to The Post, he had described the clause as discriminatory.

“…I do recognise the progressive nature of this clause, save for a few concerns, and in trying to air my concerns I would like to summon the consciences of all the honourable commissioners in this particular activity,” Nkombo debated.

“…This will amount to discrimination, positive or negative, it is up to your consciences to determine that. But there are certain points that I have regarding this matter and some are that this provision would have been very, very ideal in 1964 going on to maybe the early 80s when access to education was free of charge. This particular clause would have made absolute sense…”

Siakalima asked Siliya to remember how she messed up at the Ministry of Communications and Transport.

"What I’m saying is that MMD and its sponsors should not take advantage over us in the pact. Dora Siliya is trying to purport that it is the UPND who were trying to lobby for a degree clause. Personally when we started hearing about a degree, I said it is not a prerogative to good leadership. Dora was put there to spread propaganda for the MMD," Siakalima said.

"Dora cannot counsel anyone. Who is she? Let me warn her, she is too young; this is politics, she will be bruised. People have not forgotten the way she messed up at the Ministry of Communications and Transport. And for her to become spokesperson of the MMD she has just come in the firing range and she is not going to contain it. We are not her size."

On Tuesday, Siliya charged that UPND members sitting at the NCC vigorously pushed for the degree clause in the qualifications of a Presidential candidate.

NEWLY appointed MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya yesterday said she was not appointed spokesperson to sell herself but the MMD.

Siliya, who had called for a press briefing at the party's secretariat, was flanked by, among others, MMD Lusaka Province youth chairman Chris Chalwe and Scorpion Kadobi recently threatened to gang-rape FDD president Edith Nawakwi if she continued attacking President Rupiah Banda.
In her introductory remarks, Siliya said she had called for the briefing based on the number of calls she had received from the media fraternity who were demanding interviews.

She expressed pleasure and humility on her appointment as the party spokesperson.

But when asked if she thought her involvement in the privatisation of Zamtel through RP Capital Partners had made the ruling party unpopular and what she would do to revive the party's image if indeed it was unpopular, Siliya said she would continue to sell issues that were of concern to the ruling party.

“My being appointed MMD spokesperson is not to sell myself as Dora Siliya, but I'm selling a brand called the MMD. And the MMD is the party in government, we have gone through a number of elections where we have come out victorious. And we will continue to sell the things that make us popular to the people. And that is our concern, about the people's lives, issues of food, issues of women empowerment, issues of transport, issues of building health services, issues of making education accessible to as many people as possible,” an emotional Siliya said.

“Those are the issues that concern the people of Zambia, not personalities, not lie-peddling, not stories. The people of Zambia are interested in politics of issues, and so my job is to ensure that we continue as a party, as MMD to contribute to the political space of this country by bringing issues and not rumours; because anyone of us can tell a story about anyone. But the Zambians are not interested because that will not improve their lives.”

When asked about what she would do to some members of the party like Kafulafuta member of parliament George Mpombo who were perceived to be anti-Banda, Siliya insisted that she was party spokesperson and would not discuss images.

“Let me repeat once and for all that as a party spokesperson, I'm not representing the views of Dora Siliya, I'm representing the views of the party. And this party which has been in existence for a long time has procedures as reflected in our constitution, and the social and economic transformation agenda as reflected in our manifesto. All members are familiar with the procedures and processes in our party. Now, I don't want to dwell on discussing individuals, as I said yesterday Wednesday that members you are referring to are senior members of this party. They've been members for a long time, as a party we are an embracing party, we believe in internal dialogue, we are a democratic party," she responded.

When pushed further on how far her party had gone into investigations concerning media reports that Chilanga member of parliament Ng'andu Magande had been campaigning for the party presidency through some community radio stations, Siliya said she was sure that senior members of the party had already met Magande over the matter.

"First of all again Mr Magande is a senior member of our party. I haven't established the allegations you are referring to. But I'm sure as we've done before our party has processes and procedures that deal with all kinds of disciplinary matters. And I'm sure at the right level those matters will be addressed. And I'm sure that senior members of the party will have already spoken to Mr Magande to establish the truth and see the way forward," she said.

Later, journalists including those from the state media expressed disappointment with Siliya's reaction to questions.

One of the journalists was heard saying, “I wish I had not come to waste time here. Anyway it's good that I've known her, next time I hear that Dora has a briefing, I won't attend.”

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) secretary general Wynter Kabimba yesterday said Dora Siliya does not have the right profile to boost the image of the MMD.

Commenting on Siliya's appointment as MMD spokesperson, Kabimba said Siliya's appointment clearly means that the MMD national executive committee (NEC) is not serious about their image in the eyes of the public.
"The reason given for her appointment is that she is a good communicator. But the question, which they need to answer, is whether or not she has a good profile against the background of the tribunal to boast the image of the MMD and win the confidence of the people. My immediate response to that is she is not the right person," he said.

Kabimba insisted that Siliya had no correct profile to boost the ruling party's image.

"Ultimately, against the fact that she has no profile it means the only credentials that she has for getting that job is that she is an Easterner. I mean you have two Easterners coming in the NEC at the same time, you remove a guy from Southern Province and bring in an Easterner and then you get another outsider ignoring the people that were doing the job inside and bring in another Easterner," Kabimba said.

"But you see, for anybody who knows RB President Rupiah Banda that is his formula of running public institutions wherever he has been. He has been known to that, the only new thing is that he has not graduated out of it.

"He hasn't been able to graduate out of it, which is very sad for the nation. And the people of Zambia need to watch out against a leader like that. He is certainly not a unifying factor both within the MMD and outside the MMD and that's why you hardly hear him preach about unity. You hardly hear RB making any statements about unity across ethnicity."

Kabimba said Siliya was welcome to real politics.

"She is welcome, she is now in the boxing ring and we welcome her. She should not cry gender when the political punches are unleashed on her," Kabimba said.

Kabimba said works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti had done a good job as acting information chairperson.

Over the weekend, MMD national secretary Dr Katele Kalumba announced that the ruling party had re-organised itself by bringing into the NEC former national secretary Vernon Mwaanga, Siliya, former Nyimba member of parliament Nyangu, and losing Solwezi Central member of parliament Albert Chifita. Jeff Kaande was dropped as party deputy national secretary.

VICE-President George Kunda's law firm has threatened to sue Lusaka's Radio QFM over the live broadcast of Patriotic Front (PF) Michael Sata's letter in which the latter claimed that the Vice-President irregularly received K3.5 billion legal costs from government.

And QFM director Moses Nyama yesterday confirmed receipt of the letter from George Kunda and Company. In a letter dated January 25, 2010, accessed by The Post, George Kunda and Company demanded that QFM pay reasonable sum as damages.
“Re: Claim for damages for malicious libel - George Kunda and Company, and Mrs Irene M. Kunda. It has been brought to our attention that on 18th January, 2010 your radio station carried an interview with the Patriotic Front president Mr Michael C. Sata where among other things, he alleged that George Kunda and Company had received a sum of K3.5 billion as costs from the government, in the case of DBZ Vs. Sun Pharmaceuticals Limited when the court had ordered that each party should bear its own costs, and that this is tantamount to theft and/or plunder of public funds,” George Kunda and Company stated.

The firm stated that QFM repeated Sata's interview.

“These allegations are completely untrue and constitute a grave libel upon the firm and its proprietor Mrs Irene M. Kunda. The publication has lowered the professional standing of the firm and its proprietors,” the firm stated.

“We therefore demand that: - (1) You render a suitable withdrawal and apology in terms to be approved by us in respect of these unfounded allegations which were broadcast on your radio station, (2) You give us your assurance and undertaking in writing that you will not repeat the broadcasting or publication of these or similar allegations concerning the firm, and its proprietors. (3) You indemnity the firm and its proprietors in respect of legal costs which they will have incurred in this matter. (4) You pay a proper and reasonable sum as damages to the firm and its proprietors for the injury to their reputation and the embarrassment and distress caused to them.

The amount payable will be communicated to you in due course.”

George Kunda and Company stated that QFM acted recklessly by allowing Sata to make the libelous remarks with impunity.

“We shall issue a Writ of Summons if we do not receive a satisfactory reply within the next seven days,” stated George Kunda and Company.

When contacted, Nyama confirmed that QFM had received the letter and would respond to it.

“We received it and we are going to respond to it. We will respond maybe today yesterday,” said Nyama.

THE 14-year land leasehold for the over a hundred small-older cane farmers at Kaleya Small-holders Company Limited (KASCOL) in Mazabuka has expired.

KASCOL chief executive officer Rama Varma told a visiting delegation from the African Development Bank (ADB), Finnish Embassy in Zambia and the Ministry of Agriculture last Tuesday that the company was in the process of re-extending the 160 small-holders’ land leasehold.
“The lease has expired. Now we are trying to extend the lease period for another 14 years,” Varma said.

Varma said the out grower company had teething problems in the beginning because it lacked the capacity to repay its loans but that it has been able to do that now.

“Today we are existing with no loans in our books of accounts,” he said. “Today when you look back it is a success story.”

However, Varma said they had continued to pay for water from the adjacent Zambia Sugar’s Nakambala Estate.

He also said in view of the tricky scenario in the procurement of fertiliser on the market, KASCOL usually procures the inputs in advance and supply to the small holder cane farmers on credit.

Varma said the yields among the small holder farmers varied but that on average the cane farmers could sell between K45 million and K50 million on an annual basis.

“The early cutting of cane does factor in problems,” said Varma. “Those people who are cutting their cane early stand to lose out.”

BWACHA Parish Catholic Church chairman Sydney Mushanga is disappointed that the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) is formulating clauses targeting individuals instead of the well being of the Zambian people.

Mushanga, who is also a former MMD member said in a statement issued in Kabwe yesterday said that it was saddening that the NCC had failed to yield to expectations of the majority Zambians.
“We knew from the word go that the NCC was not going to come up with positive results. For example take a look at the degree clause for a Presidential candidate; this move is just aimed at disadvantaging certain politicians like Michael Sata,” he said.

Mushanga stated that the MMD government had lost direction in handling contentious issues of the nation and that was why he led several other members to leave the party late last year.

“We decided to defect to the PF because we believe that it is only president Sata who has a tangible programme to develop Zambia after he wins the 2011 elections,” Mushanga said.

He said that Zambia required a leader that would inspire trust and confidence to the citizens and only Sata had the political will to providing such leadership.

Mushanga said the MMD government lacked honesty and political will to improve the welfare of the Zambian people.

Mushanga has been an MMD official since 1998 and in 2006, he applied to be adopted as MMD candidate for the Bwacha Parliamentary seat currently under Gladys Nyirongo.

He urged politicians attacking the Catholic Church and its bishops to stop doing so forthwith and instead concentrate on strengthening their political parties ahead of the 2011 elections.

“Political parties come and go, governments come and go, but the Catholic Church and its bishops shall always be there,” he said.

Mushanga prayed for the courageous bishops to continue being the voice of the voiceless.

He wondered why the Catholic Church and its bishops was only thanked and appreciated if it supported certain political parties on national issues and not others.

SKETCHLEY Sacika has observed that the National Constitutional Conference's (NCC) recommendation that a presidential candidate must be a degree holder is unacceptable because it is a return to the colonialists' discriminatory political philosophy. And Sacika stated that the constitution-making process at the NCC lacks a philosophical context.

Commenting on the degree clause, Sacika, who is also former Secretary to the Cabinet demanded that it was time to stop the machinations of what he termed as 'our Zambian Welenskys'.“Before 1964, Africans in this country could not take part in the elections to the Legislative Council unless they possessed a certain level of education; unless they were in regular employment and unless they could prove that they owned property of a certain value.

As a result, only a handful of Africans took part in the electoral process, and Roy Welensky, the leader of the white settlers, justified this on the grounds that it was necessary to keep the government in civilised hands,” Sacika stated.

“Our struggle for independence was about the franchise. It was about empowering ourselves to elect our representatives to the organs of the state; to stand in those elections and to form a representative government. We achieved this in 1964 and since then we have enjoyed a franchise, which imposes little restrictions on those who want to participate in politics.

The recommendation by the NCC that Zambians wishing to stand for elective office should have a grade 12 Certificate or a university degree, is therefore, unacceptable because it is a return to the discriminatory political system which we rejected in 1964.

“What is the difference between what Roy Welensky espoused and what the NCC is trying to achieve? None whatsoever! Simply stated, what the NCC is saying is that the government of Zambia should be a preserve of a privileged minority of men and women who have been to colleges and universities and this is not different from Roy Welensky's political philosophy that government should be in civilised hands. Is it really sensible for anyone to say to his fellow Zambian: “You can take part in elections as an elector but you cannot stand for elective office because you are not educated?” He stated that in Zambia's system of party politics, parties would always strive to select the best men and women to stand on their tickets because they knew that in their collective wisdom Zambians would not vote for people who did not deserve their vote.

“Therefore the fear that Zambia could end up with a Parliament full of Bakaponya is misplaced and quite unrealistic,” he stated. He stated that what was happening at the NCC was not making sense at all.

“And it is time to put a stop to the machinations of our 'Zambian Welenskys'. A process of constitution-making which deprives the citizens of rights or privileges they have already acquired under the existing constitution is an injustice which must be rejected and condemned by all right thinking people. Instead of imposing further restrictions on the franchise, the NCC should declare Lozi, Bemba, Tonga and Nyanja as official languages so that they can be used as working languages in Parliament alongside English,” he stated. He stated that the constitution-making process at the NCC lacked a philosophical context.

“As a result the delegates are making a constitution which suits them and not a constitution which is in line with the aspirations of the people. The constitution being made does not provide solutions to the problems of poor governance; it does not deepen and broaden the rights of citizens and it does not change the structure of government. If the status quo is maintained, how are we going to improve the way we manage our national affairs?” Sacika asked.

“The suggestion by the NCC that the failure of our government to function properly is due to the low levels of education of our law makers and political leaders is the clearest indication that the men and women making our constitution do not understand the nature of the problem before them. Education, in a broad sense is everything that is learned and acquired in a lifetime; habits, knowledge, skills, interests, attitudes and personality.

“People become educated not merely by attending schools but by the total experiences of life. As for politics, the best education is that which people acquire through life's experiences and no grade 12 or university degree can train a person to be a politician.

As far as I am concerned, therefore, our men and women in Parliament are all highly educated people who are failing to function effectively because of the dysfunctional nature of our system of government.”

Thursday, January 28, 2010

WITH the issue of public service salaries still a contentious issue Progressive Teachers Union (PTUZ) Secretary General, Raymond Majongwe is embattled in a fierce clash with Takawira Zhou, PTUZ President over the intended strike by teachers.

Majongwe who is believed to have met Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai recently at his Munhumutapa offices in Harare where he claims he was told that the government had no money is totally against the intended strike.
Prime Minister Tsvangirai is believed to have told Majongwe to pacify his Union so that MDC-T would not be embarrassed by its failure to improve the welfare of teachers after having made an impassionate plea to all teachers to return home promising them lucrative salaries and improved working conditions.

Tsvangirai who is being forced to take back his words is facing a major showdown from teachers and civil servants alike who have realized the futility of the promise.

Still a year down the line, the conditions have remained appalling as the education sector continues to be riddled by an exodus of teachers and schools recording an all time low pass rate from public examinations.

The low pass rate has been attributed to low morale and lack of incentives especially from teachers in rural areas who have to teach under strenuous conditions.

With no end in sight, Majongwe insists that teachers are supposed to understand government’s position, which is battling with so much and yet it has to operate with so little.

Zhou insists that understanding government’s position was not good enough for their members who have been operating under very difficult circumstances. He added that their members had shown a very high level of patriotism and commitment over the past years and it was only dignified to reward them.

Teachers whose salaries fall within the same income bracket with the rest of civil servants have been receiving a paltry US$150 and have had their salaries increased to US$160 during the current financial year by the government against a poverty datum line of US$500.

Majongwe’s reluctance to participate in striking comes as a surprise to many as he was previously seen as a fierce democrat who pushed for workers' rights.

Prior to the GPA, he was instrumental in pushing for strikes against the Zanu PF government demanding better working conditions and meaningful salaries.

The advent of the inclusive Government saw the PTUZ taking a sympathetic approach towards the government and refusing to strike on the understanding that the government was operating on a shoestring budget.

Parallels can be drawn across the Limpopo where COSATU and the ANC government enjoy a cordial working relationship and the union will continuously push for dialogue as opposed to confrontation.

However the dangers of such unions are that the workers are compromised as their leadership and government enjoy their felonious relationship.

Government wants to maintain these relationships to avert potential strikes and embarrassment and the leadership are given incentives as kickbacks at the expense of employee welfare.

Where Majongwe’s allegiance lies is an open secret and unquestionable, and if rumours that he was promised a diplomatic posting by the MDC-T if he successfully manages to stop teachers from striking is true then the chances of PTUZ joining in the civil servants strike are slim.

"Some even believe we are (...) conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure - one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it." David Rockefeller, Memoirs